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In the region of Kukurantumi, within the Abuakwa North Municipality of the Eastern Region, a group of cocoa farmers, along with other local farmers, is urgently appealing to Cocobod and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to step in and put an end to the unregulated sale of cocoa plantations to real estate developers.
Resident farmers in Kukurantumi are outraged, asserting that numerous hectares of cocoa farms and other plantations are being forcibly taken away from them by traditional leaders in the vicinity. They have gone as far as issuing a warning to take matters into their own hands if the government and the appropriate authorities fail to intervene.
In response to the distress of the farmers, hundreds of Kukurantumi residents staged protests, accusing the traditional leaders of selling their farmlands indiscriminately. The protests did result in a temporary halt to land encroachment, but the farmers were startled to discover new developers trespassing on their lands.
This has led to confrontations between the landowners and potential buyers, with the affected farmers steadfastly resolved to resist any efforts to forcibly seize their lands. These struggling farmers have come together at the Dwumana clan’s palace to voice their grievances.
Opanyin Kojo Owusu Ansah, speaking on behalf of the affected farmers, called upon MoFA and Cocobod to step in and safeguard cocoa production in the region.
Nana Afoakwa Kyerewaa I of the Dwumana Clan expressed apprehension over the significant impact this issue is having on the government’s “Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative.
